The invention relates to improved performance of light fixtures. Light fixtures are also commonly referred to as luminaires and represent a complete lighting unit consisting of a lamp(s) electrical controls (when applicable), together with the parts designed to distribute the light, to position and protect the lamps, and to connect the lamps to the power supply. Additionally, a light fixture converts a light source into an illuminated object that may be viewed directly and should contain optical technology to make this a pleasant experience for humans. Often this requires diffusing or re-directing light in order to reduce the brightness of a light source or create a larger or more uniform light emitting surface.
For most lighting applications, principal functions of a light fixture are to aesthetically modify the appearance of light sources and to control the distribution of emitted light. A number of optical components such as diffusers, lenses, reflectors, and louvers are commonly used for these purposes. Often times, collimation of light is desirable to reduce the beam angle output of a luminaire in order to increase the intensity of projected light. Narrow beam outputs are commonly created by the use of parabolic reflectors that are commonly used with incandescent, fluorescent, and metal halide lamps. Narrow beam angle LED light sources are commonly created through combinations of primary and secondary optics. In many cases, a polymer material is used as an encapsulant of the LED chip and forms a domed lens. Injection molded secondary optics that further collimate the light output of an LED package are also commonly used. Some of these are parabolic type reflectors and others use total internal reflection (TIR) to redirect light and collimate light. Typical collimating optical components creates a desirable increase in intensity within the beam angle but also boost peak brightness of a luminaire and create high contrast background for the eye, creating objectionable glare and impairing vision. Most standard collimating optical elements produce a symmetrical beam angle output. Asymmetrical collimating components exist but require significant technical expertise and time to design. Additionally, collimating components are typically manufactured by injection molding and the time and expense of producing accurate tooling for injection molding is significant. A particular asymmetrical collimating component is limited in use to providing a very specific optical output when coupled to a very specific light source. Therefore, when developing a product line of commercial luminaires it is advantageous for a luminaire manufacturer to utilize pre-existing standard collimating optical components or design as few custom collimating optics as possible.